{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in Environmental Studies","slug":"new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644","podcast_index_feed_id":580644,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/jQQ0u0HV","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/science-technology/environmental-studies/","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/5fe9d3c3-9b70-45f5-8110-15a9c4ae9a98/4582208b-adfb-4117-a192-baa47e5720f5/3000x3000/e5dc75adf8cdf02fb639d7831e4bb4a6.png?aid=rss_feed","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":600,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies","last_synced_at":"2026-09-26T22:19:09.068210+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644"},"episode":{"title":"Beronda L. Montgomery, \"When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy\" (Henry Holt & Co.)","slug":"beronda-l-montgomery-when-trees-testify-science-wisdom-history-and-america-s-black-botanical-legacy-henry-holt-co","published_at":"2026-08-18T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644/beronda-l-montgomery-when-trees-testify-science-wisdom-history-and-america-s-black-botanical-legacy-henry-holt-co","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644","url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/science-technology/environmental-studies/","audio_url":"https://injector.simplecastaudio.com/5fe9d3c3-9b70-45f5-8110-15a9c4ae9a98/episodes/e55566ab-aa9a-45b7-8c81-73e5a589330e/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=5fe9d3c3-9b70-45f5-8110-15a9c4ae9a98&awEpisodeId=e55566ab-aa9a-45b7-8c81-73e5a589330e&feed=jQQ0u0HV","summary":"The histories of trees in America are also the histories of Black Americans. Pecan trees were domesticated by an enslaved African named Antoine; sycamore trees were both havens and signposts for people trying to escape enslavement; poplar trees are historically associated with lynching; and willow bark has offered the gift of medicine. These trees, and others, testify not only to the complexity of the Black American narrative but also to a heritage of Black botanical expertise that, like Native American traditions, predates the United States entirely.In When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy (Henry Holt & Co.), award-winning plant biologist Dr. Beronda L. Montgomery explores the ways seven trees—as well as the cotton shrub—are intertwined with Black history and culture. She reveals how knowledge surrounding these trees has shaped America since the very beginning. As Montgomery shows, trees are material witnesses to the lives of enslaved Africans and their descendants.Combining the wisdom of science and history with stories from her own path to botany, Montgomery talks to majestic trees, and in this unique and compelling narrative, they answer. Beronda L. Montgomery, PhD, is a writer, researcher, and scholar who pursues a common theme of understanding how individuals perceive, respond to, and are impacted by the environments in which they exist. Her primary laboratory-based research has been focused on the responses of photosynthetic organisms (i.e., plants and cyanobacteria) to external light cues. Additionally, Beronda pursues this theme in the context of effective mentoring and leadership of individuals, and the role of innovative leaders in supporting success. You can find her at her website. Subscribe, like, follow, and r…","meta_description":"The histories of trees in America are also the histories of Black Americans. Pecan trees were domesticated by an enslaved African named Antoine; sycamore…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2693,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644/episodes/beronda-l-montgomery-when-trees-testify-science-wisdom-history-and-america-s-black-botanical-legacy-henry-holt-co/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644/beronda-l-montgomery-when-trees-testify-science-wisdom-history-and-america-s-black-botanical-legacy-henry-holt-co.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}